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<p>I made a private loan of $120,000, so it would be my burden.</p>
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<p>!!! No way should an 18-year-old shoulder that kind of debt. One more voice for Rutgers here.</p>
<p>Rutgers has many ties with the pharm industry which is huge in NJ. You really are not giving up much in this case--RU.</p>
<p>I had to make the same decision between my state univ. honors program and Duke - I ultimately decided on Duke. </p>
<p>However, I'm not shouldering a 120k debt, in which case I would probably say Rutgers. Tough decision though.</p>
<p>Dozens of kids from my area go to Rutgers every year...keep in mind that if you were admitted to Duke you would be a top student at Rutgers. A standout star at Rutgers would be better for Grad school admissions than an average student at Duke, I'd think.
120 g's...oh man</p>
<p>Well, I had a little talk with my parents. They said that a top education at Duke would be better because it's easier for me to go to an outstanding graduate school such as HYPSMs than from the Rutgers Honors Program, where you did have to be the top student in your class. They also said that Duke is safer when regarding the fact that if I can't be placed into a good grad school, I can rely on my undergrad brandname. </p>
<p>I just want to know that is it true that in the Rutgers Honors Program, you did have to work harder than your Duke competitors to go into the same top graduate schools?</p>
<p>Btw, this loan has no interest on it. So I can pay it off in 20-30 years time.</p>
<p>Definitely, go Rutgers. Apparently, Duke doesn't want you that much, so let it be their loss. And obviously Rutgers does.</p>
<p>To Ladlm</p>
<p>Duke is actually one of the few unversities that offered me a $15,000 scholarship. It cost me 40,000+ to go to Cornell or Carnegie Mellon. I have a free ride to Rutgers Honors Program because I meet a certain criteria for SAT and GPA score. It's very mechanical. If any university wants me more it would be Duke. :-)</p>
<p>In the eyes of any grad school a degree in engineering or science from RU would compare well to any other school. Also for engineering or science grad school HYPS are not always the top choice.</p>
<p>its easy for everyone to tell this kid to go to rutgers</p>
<p>look at what he has to sacrifice to go there</p>
<p>1) the student body at rutgers is no where near as talanted as that of duke
2) the opportunities of a duke education are priceless</p>
<p>i do agree, the person is more important than the degree they get. However, with that said, a degree from Duke can be a valuable stepping stone.</p>
<p>^pretty much my line of thinking. </p>
<p>After meeting kids that would be going to schools like Duke, Harvard, Princeton etc... I felt that the atmosphere that you're in is just as important as the education. </p>
<p>This might sound corny, but it was like teeming pockets of intellectual activity. I'm sure that this is prob true at Rutgers but not to the same extent @ Duke</p>
<p>its much easier to tell him to go to duke.</p>
<p>yes, there can be benefits to a duke education. thats why this is a question. but those benefits in no way justify going into an amount of debt that will SEVERELY impact ones quality of life should everything not go as beautifully as planned. this isnt a game of best-case or even average scenarios. its the real world, and in the real world people get $25,000 jobs out of college, dont graduate in four years, dont graduate at all. </p>
<p>the op will get a good education at rutgers if he wants to do so. im not a fan of public schools. but a good education can certainly be had, and admittance to top graduate programs is more than possible. on of my friends at penn state is headed to harvard law. another is headed to northwestern for economics.</p>
<p>in the end, its simply too much of a risk to assume for a good 'atmosphere' and marginally better academics for engineering. college is indeed an investment in the future, and taking on some debt for ones education is not a bad thing. its taking on substantial unnecessary debt that is. and this fits both the 'substantial' and 'unnecessary' criteria.</p>
<p>You'd be more likely to grad. Duke in four years since it has the ever-helpful grade inflation (which along with its name, could land a higher paying job)</p>
<p>I'm sort of playing on both sides of the issue after reading more comments...my cousin is going to be a freshman at Duke next year, and has to pay 35k a year (versus 27K at Brown and 5K at PSU Schreyers Honors College)...an English major though...and also is not taking out that big an amount of loans</p>
<p>
[quote]
Well, I had a little talk with my parents. They said that a top education at Duke would be better because it's easier for me to go to an outstanding graduate school such as HYPSMs than from the Rutgers Honors Program, where you did have to be the top student in your class. They also said that Duke is safer when regarding the fact that if I can't be placed into a good grad school, I can rely on my undergrad brandname.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Admission to grad school is first and foremost based on grades, test scores and research. It you are in the honors college at RU and are at the top of the pool you will have your pick of research opportunities, mentoring opportunities and internship opportunities with some major pharm companies in NJ, which will be harder to come by unless you are also at the top of the pool at Duke.</p>
<p>Your parents are wrong. If they think you should go to Duke let them pay for it.</p>
<p>I agree with tsdad. Why would your parents want you to take on that kind of debt? Are they loaning you the $? Is that why it is a no-interest loan?</p>
<p>My son is at Schreyer Honors, Penn State. He is getting an amazing amount of attention from profs and will do an original research project. If you will have that kind of experience, you will be very attractive to grad schools. With your stats, you can get excellent grades. </p>
<p>You can find very intellectual, engaged students but, as a whole, they will not be quite like Duke's student body. For one thing, they will not be as rich.</p>
<p>"Duke isn't MIT and Rutgers ain't chopped liver either!"</p>
<p>So true. Rutgers would be my advice. Engineering opportunities are not based on prestige. My hubby took the full scholarship public school route & has never faced discrimination in biomed because he has the wrong pedigree. Perhaps because engineering success is so quantifiable. If you are planning to work in NJ after graduation (and with the huge pharmaceutical industry you likely will have great options here,) you should know that at least 1/4 of all engineers in the state are NJIT grads and another large chunk are Rutgers grads. You won't find too many people looking down their nose at your public school education because so many traveled that same route themselves. This is anecdotal, but hubby was hired for his current position by a brilliant MIT/Duke alum who is the company president. Cooper U., MIT & other top school grads report to hubby. Throughout his engineering careeer he has always worked with a mixed group. Nobody gives a hoot. </p>
<p>Good luck! Try to "pay back" the $120,000 loan to yourself and save while you are young.</p>
<p>One of the best advantages of honors programs is the ability to register early for classes. The new admits on the Duke site and others are already finding out how tough it is to get into courses that you want.Nothing like paying tons of money to take classes you have no interest in.</p>
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they will not be quite like Duke's student body.
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<p>Actually they will be since supposedly so many of the kids at Dook (UNC spelling) are from NJ. On one of the UNC sports boards they refer to Duke as the University of New Jersey. Lol.</p>
<p>Incidentially, do you know how much $120,000 is? Let's say you have 10 years to pay it off. That would be something like $1,000 a month figuring no interest. I think I did that right, but however you choose to consider it, paying back the loan will eat up a sizeable chuck of your income for a considerable period of time. Is a Duke education worth putting off buying a home while you pay back the cost of your undergraduate education? Ask all the successful RU graduates what they think.</p>
<p>Which SCHOOL do you like more? Both are excellent schools, but prestige isn't going to carry you. Do you love Duke that much more than Rutgers that you're willing to take on the debt? Do you hate Rutgers that much? Prestige is nice, but don't make your decision on it. Prestige isn't going to do a thing when you're a freshman at a school that the world thinks is great but you're miserable because you didn't look at it that closely -- and hate it.</p>
<p>I chose to go to NYU with 80-100K in debt versus a free ride at Georgia Tech (tuition-wise). I've wanted to go to NYU forever, I'm not an engineer, and to me it was worth it.</p>
<p>Good luck!!!</p>
<p>Don't focus on the money. If you could go to both schools for free which would you go to? The truth is you may not succeed at a school you don't really like. For some Rutgers is great, (I live in NJ too), but it is a big state university and that does not appeal to some.<br>
This is not to say be ignorant of money. If you like both schools go for Rutgers. College is what you make of it, but why put yourself in a position to be unhappy? If you think you'll be unhappy at Rutgers your grades will suffer and at the end of the day the money won't be worth it. I know when applying to college that i'd need to take loans, but I factored in that I'd work my ass off in the summer. You could get a job, work in the summer, scholarships. You can pay for it if you want to. Go where you'll be the happiest. Good luck!</p>